Kelly Puts Rumors To Rest: “I’m Not Quitting”

During a surprise appearance at Thursday’s press briefing, White House Chief of Staff John Kelly responded to rumors regarding the security of his job. He told reporters that he is “not quitting” and is “not frustrated” in the job — in an apparent swipe at rampant media reports.

“I’m not quitting today. I don’t think I’m being fired today. I am not so frustrated in this job that I am thinking of leaving,” Kelly told reporters, adding he is “not frustrated.” “I will tell you this is the hardest job I’ve ever had.”

Kelly told reporters that he decided not to do “too much press” until he got his “feet off the ground.”

He took questions from the press on a variety of issues, but repeatedly took issue with media reports on the internal tensions in the administration, even as he joked and sparred with the White House press corps.

The former Marine general and secretary of the Department of Homeland Security told reporters that his “only frustration” was reading news that is “just not true.”

“My only frustration, with all respect to people in the room, is to come to work and read about things I allegedly said or Mr. Trump allegedly said and it’s just not true,” Kelly said, echoing the president’s “fake news” mantra. “And I mean no disrespect to you all.”

Kelly went on to address reports that he is having trouble ‘controlling’ the president, saying he was “not brought to this job to control” Trump’s tweets.

“I was not brought to this job to control anything but the flow of information to our president,” Kelly said, noting that he thinks the president is a “decisive guy” and a “very thoughtful man.”

“I restrict no one from going to see him,” Kelly said. “I was not sent in or brought in to control him and you should not measure my effectiveness as chief of staff on what you think I should be doing.”

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